Read 2 Corinthians 3:1–11
If what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is
the glory of that which lasts!
2 Corinthians 3:11
Paul wrote at a period in history when the ages were overlapping.
The new covenant of grace had come in, but the nation of Israel was
still living under law. In AD 70, the city of Jerusalem and the temple
would be destroyed by the Romans, and that would mark the end of
the Jewish religious system.
The Judaizers wanted the Corinthian believers to go back under
the law, to “mix” the two covenants. “Why go back to that which is
temporary and fading away?” Paul asked. “Live in the glory of the new
covenant, which is getting greater and greater.”
The glory of the law was fading in Paul’s day, and today that glory
is found only in the records in the Bible. The nation of Israel has no
temple or priesthood. The law of Moses is a religion with a most glorious past, but it has no glory today. The light is gone; all that remain
are the shadows (Col. 2:16–17).
But the ministry of grace is internal (2 Cor. 3:1–3); it brings life
(vv. 4–6), and it involves increasing glory (vv. 7–11).
Something to Ponder
Do you tend to dwell more on the “light” of past accomplishments
than in the “glory” of the here and now? Explain.